Cyansky P50R Flashlight Review
The Cyansky P50R flashlight uses four Cree XHP50.3 HI emitters and has USB-C charging. It also features an e-switch and a nice user interface. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Cyansky P50R flashlight product page.
Versions of the Cyansky P50R flashlight
Two body colors are available (black or green) but each has only one emitter array option.
Price
It doesn’t seem that Cyansky lists the Cyansky P50R flashlight for sale yet, but I’ve seen it listed around the $140 range. That includes the cell.
Short Review
There’s one point that makes me very hesitant about the Cyansky P50R flashlight. The build quality is great. User interface? Great. A package that includes a 21700 cell? Great! The part I don’t like is that Turbo does not work. That’s a pretty large downside. But if you never planned to use the barn-burning Turbo mode, this is a remarkable light!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Cyansky P50R Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP50.3 (Quad) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $142.99 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 12000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | – |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.08 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 328 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | No measurement at 30 seconds. Initial measure is around 228lux @ 5.795m = 7657cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 175.0 (53.4% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6800-7900 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Cyansky |
| All my Cyansky reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Cyansky P50R flashlight
- Cyansky 4000mAh 21700
- Lanyard
- Pocket clip
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Nylon holster
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
I really love the green of this Cyansky P50R flashlight. Maybe body color is a small point, but the green used here is quite fantastic.
Overall, build quality is good. As I already mentioned, Turbo doesn’t work on my copy, so I’m not sure if that’s a design or build quality issue…
The head end has only a button for contact – no spring, so I wouldn’t really call this a tactical light. These threads are nice and smooth, though. The tailcap does not seem to come off, but there’s a nice beefy and firm spring in there.
Size and Comps
140mm x 40.5mm x 25.4mm and 162g without the cell.
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
Also above is the light beside a new standard 18350 light! It’s not one I’ve reviewed yet but this is the CWF Arcadian Peanut in aluminum. This one is stonewashed and has the new Quantum Dragon driver – a whole new product! Stay tuned for a full review of this tiny powerhouse!
Retention and Carry
Cyansky includes a pocket clip. This friction-fit clip attaches only on the tail end. It looks unusually nice, too – maybe it’s media blasted or something. But it has a nice satiny-sheen.
On the tailcap is a place to attach the included lanyard. These two holes are for lanyard attachment while still allowing tailstanding.
The nylon pouch is simple and not to be used while the light is on.
Power and Runtime
The Cyansky P50R flashlight is powered by a single lithium-ion cell. Cyansky includes an appropriate cell – a 4000mAh 21700.
As far as usage goes, this is a standard button top 21700. This is the same cell that’s used in many other Cyansky 21700 cell lights. The cell fits into the P50R in the usual way – positive terminal toward the head.
Here are a few runtime tests.
Unfortunately things went just as badly on this Turbo test as it looks like. The light will stay on briefly and then shut off. It’s a hard shutoff too – the head must be loosened and tightened to get the light to come back on. Output is actually remarkable, but just briefly. I talked to Cyansky about this and they just say it’s a difference in cell options. In summary, Cyansky says there are two cells. One provides higher output and one “prioritizes security” by way of a protection circuit. In an ideal scenario, this would mean one cell provides high but prolonged (until thermal regulation or whatever kicks in) and the other would provide lower (probably much lower than the claim) but steadier output. In practice, the light shutting off in the way seen below is very annoying. This shutoff was observed in every test, including while using bench power. My bench power can go up to 18A output, and while I feel like it’s possible this light could draw that, it all just didn’t seem right. To say it more clearly, I don’t think either cell that Cyansky could include would provide the 12,000 lumen claim.
I’ll note that the Cyansky P50R flashlight does have a proximity sensor. This test does not demonstrate the proximity sensor being activated or triggered. In those cases, the light shifts to a much lower output (but just higher than “High”).
The other modes do look pretty good, though, so there’s that. Often Turbo is so ridiculous anyway, that it’s better to just think of a light as not having turbo, an (in this case) having just 4 modes. If you do that with the Cyansky P50R flashlight, it’s not too bad, except that it still costs like it has a 12,000 lumen Turbo.
Charging
The Cyansky P50R flashlight is charged by way of a USB-C charging port in the head.
An A to C cable is included.
Charging is quick, peaking at around 2A. While charging, the switch blinks red. When charging is complete, the switch turns green.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 12,000 | 1h | 10455 (0s) 0 (30s) |
>18? |
| High II | 2,000 | 2h | 1861 | 3.46 |
| High | 800 | 3h | 740 | 1.21 |
| Medium | 200 | 10.5h | 252 | 0.41 |
| Low | 50 | 50h | 35 | 0.07 |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s a bit of wiggle on many of the modes, but none of this is PWM.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor. Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
There’s just one switch on the Cyansky P50R flashlight. It’s an e-switch on the head. This switch is on the opposite side from the USB-C charging port.
The switch can indicate in red (seen below) and green. The switch indicates approximate voltage at turn on, for around 5 seconds.
Here’s a user interface table! I can’t see where the manual covers it, but the light has an auto-lockout feature that seems to be enabled after a certain time of being off and unused.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off and unlocked | Double click | Locked |
| Off and locked | Click | Blinks twice and switch indicates power level. Stays locked. |
| Off and locked | Double click | Unlock to Low |
| Off and unlocked | Click | Switch displays battery level |
| Off and unlocked | Hold | On in Memory Mode (between only Low or Medium) |
| On | Click | Mode advance (ascending direction) |
| On | Longer Hold^ | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click | Return to steady level |
| On (including strobe) | Hold | Off |
| On | Click 3x | Iterate proximity sensor. The light flashes 3x. |
^ This “longer hold” technically goes through the off state before going to strobe.
Aside from some stuff you’ll just have to either memorize or guess at in the auto-locking and various options for unlocking, the user interface is fairly straightforward. I like that mode memory is for only the lowest two levels. I’m not sure another light has used that method before.
LED and Beam
The Cyansky P50R flashlight uses four Cree XHP50.3 emitters. They’re domeless, so that makes them “High Intensity” emitters. Each has a small reflector. In the photo below, you can see the proximity sensor, too.
The bezel, which is probably stainless steel, has some teeth.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The tint is as expected on a very high output light like this – it’s cool white. Ranging from around 6800K (very cool white) to around 8000K (very very cool white), the CRI remains low at around 70.
Beamshots
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Nice build quality
- C to C charging works well
- User interface is new and offers some features I haven’t seen before
- Nice steel bezel
What I don’t like
- Turbo doesn’t work
- Cost
- Very cool white
Notes
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